(For the 70s British rock band, see Mr Big.)

Mr. Big combined two po… Read Full Bio ↴(For the 70s British rock band, see Mr Big.)

Mr. Big combined two popular musical trends of the rock scene in the mid to late 80s: a particular brand of hard rock focused on melodies and listener-friendly choruses made for the arena, and impressive technical proficiency, then called shredding. The seeds for the group were sown when bass player Billy Sheehan (considered one of the top bassists of rock, often thought to be the bass equivalent of guitarist Eddie Van Halen) left David Lee Roth's solo band in 1988. Almost immediately after his exit, Sheehan began piecing together a new outfit, with the help of Mike Varney from Shrapnel Records, a label specialized in the shredding genre. The band comprised Shrapnel artist and former Racer X guitarist Paul Gilbert, Pat Torpey on drums, and singer Eric Martin, who had a number of album releases throughout the 1980s with his Eric Martin Band.

By 1989, the newly formed quartet, already regarded as a budding supergroup, had already inked a recording contract with Atlantic, resulting in the release of a self-titled debut the same year. Produced by Kevin Elson and Val Garay, 'Mr. Big' proved a partial commercial success, reaching the 46th slot on the Billboard 200 chart. Lead-off single "Addicted to that Rush", featuring the band's aggressive guitar and bass playing, also brought the group some mainstream attention, reaching the #39 slot on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart.

Despite causing a buzz among musicians, the album didn't quite cross over to a mainstream rock audience stateside, though Mr. Big was an immediate smash success overseas in Japan. The band's breakthrough came with their second album, 'Lean Into It', in 1991. It featured two power ballads that established the band as a total commercial success: "To Be With You" and "Just Take My Heart". The group also released arena rock songs that have remained staples of their live set for years, such as "Green-Tinted Sixties Mind".

Other releases followed, 'Bump Ahead' in 1993 and 'Hey Man' in 1996, but the band never replicated its earlier success in the U.S. market. The rise of grunge and nu metal groups damped much of the mainstream's interest in traditional arena-made hard rock. In Japan, on the other hand, they continued to sell out tours, resulting in a number of live releases for the Japanese market throughout their career (from "Raw Like Sushi" in 1990 to Mr. Big in Japan in 2002 among later releases). Paul Gilbert left the band in 1997 to pursue a solo career and eventually reform Racer X. Richie Kotzen, another Shrapnel artist and former guitarist for Poison, was brought in to take on guitar duties, also contributing occasional vocals.

Two studio albums were released by this lineup: 'Get Over It' in 2000 and 'Actual Size' in 2001, which featured the single Shine used in the anime Hellsing. Tensions in the band between Billy Sheehan and the other members, especially Eric Martin, led to the band's demise-- contractual obligations for yet another Japanese tour were fulfilled in the form of a "farewell tour". The multi-million record-selling band broke up in 2002, many years since their last hit in the United States but while still enjoying great popularity in Japan.

In February 2009, as a result of fan-demand and also after several coincidences over the past couple of years that have gradually brought the group back together again, Eric Martin, Pat Torpey, Paul Gilbert, and Billy Sheehan finally announced their decision to reunite.

In September 2010, Mr. Big recorded a seventh album with producer Kevin Shirley at a Los Angeles-area studio. The album (What If...) was released in Japan on December 15, 2010, in Europe on January 21, 2011, and in the US in February 2011. The group's latest album, Defying Gravity, was recorded in Los Angeles in six days, and released on July 21, 2017. Due to Pat Torpey being diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, he could not play drums fully on the record and played on only several tracks. Matt Starr recorded the drum tracks, while Pat Torpey acted as "drum producer."

On February 7, 2018, drummer Pat Torpey died from complications of Parkinson's disease at the age of 64. His last show took place at the Wulfrun Hall in Wolverhampton on November 23, 2017. A memorial show took place on May 23, 2018 at The Canyon in Agoura Hills, California, with former member Richie Kotzen as a special guest.

A Little Too Loose
Mr. Big Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Misguided woman knows my name
Ain't got nobody else to blame
I got a girl back home
She's waiting all alone

Ten weeks of rock and roll arcade
Seems like a year since I've been paid
I got to let it go, no one will ever now

I got a little too loose
In Oklahoma City
I didn't care if she was young
Didn't care if she was pretty
I got a little too loose
A little too loose
A little too loose, oh, oh, oh.

Keep little secrets far too long
Guess that I'll put them in a son
I got to let it go, no one will ever know

Baby, can I get you a taxi
She said, "That's OK, tonight I'm staying here"

All that little girl wanted yeah
Was a slippery souvenir

Overall Meaning

The song A Little Too Loose by Mr. Big is about a young man who has made a mistake with a woman while on tour with his band. He seems to be regretting his actions as he acknowledges that he has a girl back home who is waiting for him. However, he finds himself in a situation where he is alone with a young woman who knows who he is, and he gives into his impulse despite being aware that he shouldn't.

In the chorus of the song, he sings about how he got a little too loose in Oklahoma City. He didn't care about the woman's age or appearance; he was only interested in satisfying his desires. He seems to be aware that what he did was wrong, but he feels that he has to keep it a secret, as he doesn't want anyone to know what he did.

The second verse sees him acknowledging that he has been keeping secrets for too long and that he needs to let go of them. He tries to make amends by offering to get the woman a taxi, but she declines, indicating that she is willing to stay with him. The last line of the song reveals that the woman only wanted a souvenir, implying that she was not interested in anything other than a one-night stand.

Line by Line Meaning

Misguided woman knows my name
A woman whom I cannot trust knows me and can call me out on anything I do.

Ain't got nobody else to blame
I have no one to blame for my actions but myself.

I got a girl back home
I have a girlfriend whom I am betraying.

She's waiting all alone
My girlfriend is eagerly waiting for me back home.

Ten weeks of rock and roll arcade
I have been on tour performing for ten weeks now.

Seems like a year since I've been paid
It feels like it has been a long time since I last received my salary.

I got to let it go, no one will ever now
I know what I did was wrong, but I have to let it go because no one knows about it.

I got a little too loose
I became careless with my actions.

In Oklahoma City
This happened in Oklahoma City.

I didn't care if she was young
I did not mind that the person I was with was much younger than me.

Didn't care if she was pretty
I did not care about the girl's appearance.

I got a little too loose
I became too carefree with my decisions.

A little too loose
I was excessively careless with my actions.

A little too loose, oh, oh, oh.
I did not realize how careless I became until it was too late.

Keep little secrets far too long
I have secrets I have kept hidden for too long.

Guess that I'll put them in a son
I will put all my secrets in a song so I can get them off my chest.

I got to let it go, no one will ever know
I need to move on from my past mistakes that I have never told anyone about.

Baby, can I get you a taxi
I offered to take the girl back to her place.

She said, "That's OK, tonight I'm staying here"
The girl refused because she had other intentions with me.

All that little girl wanted yeah
All the girl wanted was a one-night stand with me.

Was a slippery souvenir
All I am left with from that night is a memory I would rather forget.

Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing, BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, RESERVOIR MEDIA MANAGEMENT INC
Written by: Paul Gilbert, William Sheehan

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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Comments from YouTube:

Dwayne Wladyka

3y↑3

Mr. Big are a great band. What an awesome song. Cheers! ✌️

Rendy Andrian

I fell in love with this song after listening for the first time decades ago. The groove and chord progression on the intro was my kryptonite.

Kaffee7

this album is one of the best albums of any rock band ive heard!! every song is a hit and they all sound different aka not similar, yet they all have the same vibe the album produces! aps amazing and amazing riffs sounds .. its just pure badass baby !